Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #10 *Arrest*

[katydid23]

Has anyone done a time line of events listing out when Erin was informed of the illness of her guests - it's all getting a bit convoluted. Surely she would have known her guests had died or severely unwell when the police came knocking?

Apparently, Simon called her around 11:30 am on Sunday morning, the day after the lunch, as he was taking 2 of her lunch guests to the hospital. And he called her again around 2:30. So I have to believe he was telling her that her guests were unwell. I'm sure he'd want to know how she and his kids were doing, and he'd want to be sure his kids were warned against eating any of that food.

But reportedly she still ended up feeding them the leftovers later that day. I think it was important to her that she be able to say "Look, I fed my kids that meal too, it's not poisonous"

 

[Scuffy35]

Apparently, Simon called her around 11:30 am on Sunday morning, the day after the lunch, as he was taking 2 of her lunch guests to the hospital. And he called her again around 2:30. So I have to believe he was telling her that her guests were unwell. I'm sure he'd want to know how she and his kids were doing, and he'd want to be sure his kids were warned against eating any of that food.

But reportedly she still ended up feeding them the leftovers later that day. I think it was important to her that she be able to say "Look, I fed my kids that meal too, it's not poisonous"

She was more concerned about driving her son to flying lessons that day.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I look at it in a different way.
Not only did she want to try to keep things normal for her children, she also didn't want to disappoint her son.

 

[Deleted member 363451]

Dr Tom May’s testimony highlighted that foraging is very risky, even for experienced foragers. To the extent that he stated he previously felt that no one should forage, ever and eventually softened to the stance that people should undertake a sort of foraging apprenticeship, if they did forage.

It’s also hard for the prosecution to argue that EP was a frequent forager when Simon denied this.

The only point, IMO, that the defence has successfully made this far is that all foraging IS risky, and easy to get wrong.

Dr Tom may was a net positive for the prosecution though, in that he identified the mushrooms from the picture of EP’s dehydrator as death caps with “reasonable certainty” having previously correctly identified 10/10 of the “gotcha” pictures the defence showed him.

We don't know of course whether that article on the Daily Mail quoting a 'friend' of Erin Patterson was accurate, but given her interest in mushrooms, I would err on believing that she was an experienced forager. If she was, that makes Simon's denial of it very strange indeed...

 

[Deleted member 363451]

I posted that it was from a "friend".

Just like the "friend of the family" the prosecution never subpoenaed them as a witness.

So either the stories were not true, or the prosecution missed an opportunity.

S

Post in thread 'Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #10 *Arrest*'

May 18, 2025

That's a great point Cartie. Do we know when she made the mushroom brownies? Potentially before the dehydrator purchase. Regardless, you could argue that she was experimenting with mushroom powder, what it tastes like it recipes without mushroom, whether it was detectable in any way. With regular, edible mushrooms of course because she wouldn't want her kids sick.


If she did not have a dehydrator until April 28th, yet was still able to dehydrate mushrooms, then one could say that there was a reason why she chose to buy one then. Right after having visited a location known to have...

• Scuffy35

• 
• 

That article that you linked does not mention that Erin Paterson had mushroom books on her bookshelf, but I know that I've seen it somewhere...

 

[MsMarple]

Defence cross-examines police witness in Erin Patterson trial — as it happened

Erin Patterson is accused of murdering three of her relatives by serving them a beef Wellington lunch which contained death cap mushrooms. Follow the trial live.

www.abc.net.au

Erin Patterson murder trial day 22 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

 

[MsMarple]

Erin Patterson murder trial day 22 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

now20.51 EDT

Welcome​

Welcome to day 22 of Erin Patterson’s triple murder trial.

We’re expecting today’s evidence to begin shortly once the jurors enter the courtroom.

Patterson, 50, faces three charges of murder and one charge of attempted murder relating to a beef wellington lunch she served at her house in Leongatha, in regional Victoria, on 29 July 2023.

She is accused of murdering her in-laws, Donand Gail Patterson, and her estranged husband’s aunt, Heather Wilkinson. The attempted murder charge relates to Heather’s husband, Ian.

She has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The prosecution alleges Patterson deliberately poisoned her lunch guests with “murderous intent”, but her lawyers say the poisoning was a tragic accident.

 

[Kemug]

1m ago

Erin raises heart concerns with estranged husband​

By Joseph Dunstan​

We're then taken to Signal messages between Simon and Erin between January 4 and 5 in 2022.

In the first one shown, Simon asks "How's your back today?"

Erin replies saying "it's getting better each day. It's my heart that's troubling me. I'm struggling with the energy to do basic things like get in and out of the car and after I have a shower I need to lie down and rest because the whole ordeal exhausts me. I think we need to upgrade our health insurance so I can start chewing through the waiting period".

She later tells him "it's a lot of things combined".

She says she has been doing "a lot of research" on right-sided heart failure and "the symptoms all fit what I've been experiencing".

Later in the exchange while discussing access to health services, Simon texts "we do actually do OK for health services where we live, compared to back waters such as tassie and WA."

I don't suppose it would have gone down well if Simon had replied "Oh for heavens sake woman! Just lose some weight, and get a bit of exercise!"

 

[Yh5r]

I think the texts from Simon will reveal a lot.

I thought the prosecution has presented all their evidence already and the defence is now cross examining their last witness. After this it will be on the defence to present what they have. I don't believe more of Simon's text messages will be presented to court?

 

[katydid23]

I look at it in a different way.
Not only did she want to try to keep things normal for her children, she also didn't want to disappoint her son.

How can she keep things normal for her children if there is a possibility they are going to get sick like their grandparents? I'd think she'd want to take them to the hospital to be examined in case they were victims too, unless she already knew they weren't in any danger.


Besides, EP has told people that she had been unwell in the middle of the night and had explosive diarrhoea. Why then would she put on cream coloured pants and agree to take a 3 hour drive that day? It doesn't make sense if what she said was true. IMO

 

[MsMarple]

3m ago20.53 EDT

What the jury heard on day 21 of trial​

We’re waiting for today’s proceedings to get underway.

Here’s a recap of what the jury heard on Wednesday:

1. Electronic records taken from a computer seized by police from Erin Patterson’s house indicated it had been used to visit webpages listing sightings of death cap mushrooms, the court heard.
2. Jurors were shown Patterson’s Woolworths purchase history which included two items of 500g sliced mushrooms purchased on 23 July 2023 in Leongatha.
3. The jury was shown text messages between Patterson and her mother-in-law, Gail Patterson, where the pair discussed medical appointments for the accused including a needle biopsy on 28 June 2023. Detective Leading Senior Constable Stephen Eppingstall said obtained medical records found no appointment matching this.
4. Eppingstall said no cancer diagnosis for Patterson was found on the Victorian cancer registry database.
5. Police never located a phone connected to Patterson that the prosecution labelled “Phone A”, the court heard.

 

[Yh5r]

I remember someone saying upthread that maybe she misunderstood something the doctor said and maybe she thought she had cancer when she didn’t, giving her the benefit of the doubt. Confusing an actual biopsy? You don’t confuse that. You know if you had one or not, and she didn’t, and she lied, and she is reprehensible.

Totally agree. The suspected cancer is one thing and could be seen in line with Erin's previous behaviours when she was worried about heart issues. But the proven lie to Gail about the actual appointment and biopsy is a whole different level - an actual appointment time and place was fabricated by Erin to gain attention and ensure the guests would come to the lunch. So evil

 

[LinasK]

I'm pleased EP is losing money, trying to deceive.
She often mentions the cost of things, yet she has sufficient: several properties.
She disposed of her dehydrator, and her "expensive, as she states Samsung phone": possibly to hide evidence.
Now, the cost of this trial.!!!
WHY????

Also, for someone who doesn't have much money, they just reported that she spent $82 on a delivered food meal???

 

[MsMarple]

How can she keep things normal for her children if there is a possibility they are going to get sick like their grandparents? I'd think she'd want to take them to the hospital to be examined in case they were victims too, unless she already knew they weren't in any danger.


Besides, EP has told people that she had been unwell in the middle of the night and had explosive diarrhoea. Why then would she put on cream coloured pants and agree to take a 3 hour drive that day? It doesn't make sense if what she said was true. IMO

Right? Never in a million years would I risk the health and safety of my children in order to not upset them. I can’t even imagine such a decision.

I guess Erin has a very different set of priorities.

 

[MrJ]

Right? Never in a million years would I risk the health and safety of my children in order to not upset them. I can’t even imagine such a decision.

I guess Erin has a very different set of priorities.

And those seem to be me myself and I, and damn the consequences. moo

 

[Yh5r]

I don't think there is any way that Simon would have called Erin on the Sunday after the lunch at 11:08am and 2:23pm and not spoken about the poisonings and asked how the kids were.

The prosecution had these calls highlighted on their evidence exhibit.

imo

One highlighted call was on 30 July 2023 at 11.08am. Eppingstall says the call records show a phone call from Simon to Patterson.

Another highlighted call at 2.23pm shows a call from Simon to Patterson lasting six minutes and 6 seconds, Eppingstall says.

Erin Patterson murder trial day 21 – as it happened

This blog is now closed

www.theguardian.com

Totally agree, these conversations would have contained information about the 4 of them being in hospital.

Let's just for a moment assume innocence - what would an innocent host of a prior lunch do? I'm guessing the lunch would have at that stage already been a likely source of the illness of 4 people who attended it (but apparently they also attended a mutual dinner the night before the lunch). An innocent host would likely not be able to go and visit them in hospital while they are running test? An innocent person would likely be quite proactive in reviewing herself whether the mutual lunch could have caused any symptoms. An innocent person might also just go about her day as usual as she couldn't do anything at that stage? Let's disregard at that moment that the innocent person likely would have suffered similar symptoms to the guests as well if the same meal had been consumed.

But the calls alone and Erin knowing about them being unwell, how do they point to guilt?

 

[MsMarple]

Another late start.

 

[Scuffy35]

That article that you linked does not mention that Erin Paterson had mushroom books on her bookshelf, but I know that I've seen it somewhere...

It is there back in my post #76 of this thread.

Here is the link again:

Erin Patterson had a 'collection of mushroom books' at her home

Deadly cook Erin Patterson had a collection of books about mushrooms she kept at her home where three people died, Daily Mail Australia has been told.

www.dailymail.co.uk

"Erin Patterson had a collection of books about mushrooms which she kept at her home where her fatal beef wellington lunch took place, Daily Mail Australia has been told.

A friend claimed the shelves of her family home at Leongatha included books about delicious yet potentially deadly fungi.

Daily Mail Australia on Wednesday reported Ms Patterson, 48, was an 'experienced forager' who - like many families in the area - picked mushrooms when they were in season.

The friend said she had a number of books on the subject in her library."

 

[Lisa4]

I look at it in a different way.
Not only did she want to try to keep things normal for her children, she also didn't want to disappoint her son.

It's not keeping things normal to have the children's grandparents in for lunch on a Saturday, but fabricate a reason to ensure the children don't even get included!

 

[LinasK]

Indeed, the surviving victim may have been able to shed light on this but she could have said she's following a diet plan or weight watchers suchlike. JMO.

Doubtful that someone on a diet plan would make such a rich sounding dish.